SSDA 2018: Two St. Peter’s Square, Manchester
16th November 2018
Two St. Peter’s Square is a new build, Grade A office space in the heart of Manchester city centre, consisting of 12-storeys above ground and two basement levels.
As the SSDA awards celebrate their 50th year of recognising the best of what the UK steel construction industry can achieve, we celebrate that 77% of the projects feature STRUMIS customers. In this post we will be celebrating William Hare’s involvement in the Two St. Peter’s Square Manchester project.
Photo: © Daniel Hopkinson
Two St. Peter’s Square, Manchester
Architect: SimpsonHaugh
Structural Engineer: BuroHappold
Steelwork Contractor: William Hare
Main Contractor: Laing O’Rourke
Client: Mosley Street Ventures Ltd
The project occupies one of Manchester’s prime city centre locations, opposite the Civic Centre and facing both the Grade I listed Town Hall and Grade II listed Central Library.
The high civic importance, heritage and visibility of the site resulted in an intricate and challenging planning context, demanding a high-quality building.
"Only by using cellular beams could the 18m spans be accommodated while maintaining the required floor-to-ceiling heights,” says SimpsonHaugh Partners Architect Simon Critchley.
The use of a structural steel framing solution was a key element in the project’s success as Laing O’Rourke Project Manager Tim Brown says: "The obvious win was speed of procurement and erection, as the client had a deadline to get the building open in order to secure a Blue Chip anchor tenant.”
"Technically, by using steel the designers were also able to create a large double-height main entrance for the high-end reception area.”
Summing up, the judges say this scheme of new Grade A offices in the heart of Manchester’s civic centre responds to the challenge of this site of prime importance. Not only does the glazed stone tracery respond appropriately to the location, but the elegant steel-framed building with 18m clear spans provides flexible accommodation highly attractive to tenants.
To read the full article visit the NSC website https://bit.ly/2DmgSMI